


The Poppies Cried

by eyazu



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, But he doesn't know what happened for most of it because of the breakdown, Comfort/Angst, Goro Doesn't Die, M/M, Post-Boiler Room, Started out as a vent fic, Subtle Paranoia, Tags May Change, Vanilla Game Setting + Spoilers, god what the fuck even is this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:28:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24876190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eyazu/pseuds/eyazu
Summary: His gaze fell onto his phone. It was quiet now. Almost hesitantly, Goro picked it up. He almost didn't believe who the sender of all those texts were.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Comments: 5
Kudos: 71





	1. The Poppies Cried

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize in advance for any fuck ups in writing, doing this on my phone, it's 7:40am, and I haven't slept.

The door slammed shut. 

Silence bubbled over the dark room as he observed it. Taking a deep breath in, Goro leaned back agaisnt the door. His hand made it's way around the wall until he finally knocked the light switch, transforming the room back into it's familiar shapes. Keys, phone, and a wallet were tossed onto the table.

Goro's apartment wasn't the fancist thing, though for where he lived, it was rather nice. A three roomed place, including the bathroom, and a balcony. The building had a laundromat inside it as well, so he wouldn't have to go outside for hours to deal with that. 

Tough days were normal at this point. He made his way across the apartment and into his bedroom, tearing the bedding off of his bed and leaving it on the floor. Where was his basket? 

Tough days, how ever, meant less time at home. Searching around, Goro grimaced as he picked it up and turned it upside down, not even looking at the floor as unwashed clothes fell to it.

Less time at home, in his case, meant less time for him to take care of his living space. With the basket in hand, Goro started to place the bedding inside of it rather than on the floor.

Having less time to take care of his living space meant that he had to prioritize what he did each night before going to bed. On his way out, Goro made sure to grab a detergent pod and a few ¥100 coins to pay for the wash.

Having to prioritize what he did each night put him at what he felt like was a disadvantage. Agaisnt who, specifically, he wondered. Goro was thankful that there weren't many people up and about right now. It was getting close to midnight, he realized, standing in the elevator with a basket of bedding. The bedding smelt very faintly of body odour. He wondered how long it's been since he managed to wash it. 

Being at a disadvantage made him feel weak. Before he knew it, Goro was on his way back up the building, hands empty of basket and coin.

Feeling weak made him angry. 

The door slammed shut, but this time, the room was not dark. 

Goro felt on edge. He left the light on, this he knew. There was not the presence of anything else there. Not a single sound. Now, the door to the balcony was open, and Goro was standing on it. The weather had been rather nice recently. The cool breeze blowing past his hair mixed with the generally warm atmosphere, the air being much more freeing than that of his closed up apartment. 

Even once he returned inside, Goro decided to leave the door open for now. The silence remained as he turned to the kitchen area. Once again, he resorted to eating something pre-made. On a night like this, he decided on a sandwich he bought from the corner store. Originally, this was meant to be a lunch, but after the past two days of not feeling up to eating during any time of the day, Goro decided he wouldn't let it go to waste. Maybe it was far from a good dinner, but it was food, and when consumed with a glass of filtered water, Goro felt fine. He told himself that. 

There was still going to be some time before he has to get his laundry. Some TV couldn't possibly hurt. 

As fate would have it, the last station he had the TV set to was the news. It was nothing he cared about. Goro briefly entertained the thought that he might not care about the news again. Not for a long while. The channel changed to a retro cartoon one, and Goro still couldn't find any reason in himself to care as he set the remote down, leaving it for background noise. 

Picking up a book and sitting back in his chair, Goro didn't mind this. He wasn't upset, but he wasn't happy either. Right now, he was existing in neutral zone. That wasn't all too common for Goro. He tended to always feel strongly about things, shouldn't his emotions stay the same way? 

When his phone buzzed, Goro didn't look to it. It buzzed again, and again, and again. He looked to the time. He needs to transfer the wash to the dryer. Setting the book down, turning the TV off, and grabbing a few more coins once again, Goro left his apartment, ignoring the phone buzzing on the table.

The wall to the laundromat and back felt longer this time. The halls felt like they went on forever. The elevator ride up and down was much more disorienting. He really is tired.

Upon entering his apartment, Goro huffed. He'll be having to make that trip one more time tonight, and then he'll have to make his bed again before he can sleep. It would be preferable to change into something more comfortable to sleep in as well, how ever Goro wouldn't change now. There's still a chance of running into other people in the building.

His gaze fell onto his phone. It was quiet now. Almost hesitantly, Goro picked it up. He almost didn't believe who the sender of all those texts were. He tapped on the most recent notification snaking his hands out of his gloves to make navigating easier. There was a string of texts, all directed to specifically him.

_I'm sorry._

_I'm so, so sorry._

_I should have picked up on what you were going to do._

_I'm thankful. But you shouldn't have done such a thing._

_You could've come with us._

_You could've sorted things out with us._

_You could've survived..._

_..._

_Haha._

_I wonder how much you'd be laughing at me right now. It's pathetic, isn't it?_

_You were right._

_You did so many awful things, and here I am, messaging you these dumb thoughts and what if situations._

_Didn't you always hate those?_

_I wish you were here, Akechi._

What the _**fuck**_ was Goro reading? Groaning, he rubbed his forehead with his empty hand. His brain was an absolute mess. What the hell was Kurusu talking about? 

Something must've happened in the palace. All Goro remembers was up until he attempted to make himself to berserk, and then he woke up in some dark, dirty alleyway at 10:30pm. Whatever happened, it was something that led Kurusu to believing he's dead. On one hand, this means he didn't end up killing Kurusu. That was good, most likely. 

The phone buzzed again in his hand. Shit. Kurusu defenitly saw the read symbol on his messages. 

_...Akechi?_

Feeling his stomach twist, Goro didn't have anywhere close to enough energy for this. Kurusu wouldn't be able to do anything about it if he just ignored him. Chances are, Goro wouldn't be able to avoid this confrontation forever. He would like to fill in the gaps in his memory. That's as good as an excuse as ever. Excuse? With a heavy sigh, Goro almost threw his phone back onto the table, laying down on the couch and staring at the clock. He just wanted to go to bed already. 


	2. The Poppies Bleed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY QUICK HEADS UP CAUSE I'M NOT ADDING IT TO THE TAGS! Agender!Futaba is in this. They're only mentioned, which is why I'm not putting it in the tags, but just so you don't get confused over Goro and Akira using gender neutral language for Futaba.

Laying on freshly washed sheets was a nice feeling. Goro settled on that thought when he finally was able to collapse onto his bed. It was a mix of cool and warm- Goro had managed to get his blazer and pants off, leaving him laying on the warm and fresh out of the dryer sheets in nothing but his boxers and a button up. His room wasn't warm, not by any means, but having the energy to put on proper pajama pants and maybe a sweater instead of a button up wasn't something he had anymore. The time it was now, Goro didn't know, and he wasn't sure how much he cared. The digital clock sitting on his bedside table was blank, having broke long ago. Whether it was on purpose or accident, that he broke it. Though it's not like Goro remembered how he broke it at this point, either. Checking his phone for the time wasn't an option either. He had left it on the table, not wanting to deal with the possibility of Kurusu continuing to try and contact him. Maybe he didn't want to be tempted to reply back, sure, but he definitely didn't want to deal with the buzzing, either. Closing his eyes, Goro tried to push it out of his mind. He just needed sleep. 

It didn't feel like anything, eventually. Next thing he knew, the sun was filtering through the curtains. Rolling over, Goro made an aggravated sound. He feels incredibly sore, almost like he worked all of his body to its limit. And maybe he did. Eventually he gave up and sat up, stretching his neck to the side. Had he known that the sun doesn't rise in a few minutes, Goro would've questioned if he really slept at all. A hot shower was what he really needed now, wasn't it? Pushing himself off the bed, he made his way to the bathroom in hopes that the hot water would make his body feel better, and maybe he turned the water to be much too hot. 

Thanks to sacrificing washing his clothes in exchange for his bedding, Goro didn't have many clean clothes that looked professional enough for him to be caught in outside of his house. There's no way he could re-wear the blazer and pants he wore yesterday, considering they were disgusting from Goro having been passed out in an alleyway for whatever reason, and for who knows how long. Should he leave his house? He could just call in sick to everything. Deciding to do just that, he got dressed in something simple. Something comfortable. He wasn't sure how long it's been since he had dressed like this for the day. In a way, it felt wrong, even though it wasn't stuffy for once. 

Goro grabbed his phone, and like the night before, took to laying down on the couch. The bed was more comfortable. Luckily for Goro, there was no missed calls or texts from Kurusu. Kurusu is smart enough to know to leave things alone for now, isn't he? Goro wondered if he told the other thieves about how Goro read his messages. Goro wondered if that Sakura kid was still paying attention to the bugs on his phone. Goro wondered if they're talking about him. Goro wondered what they thought happened to him. With a sigh, he did what he set his mind to doing earlier. He hasn't book off sick before. Would it ruin anything? Would it mess up his reputation? Take away from possible opportunities, maybe? It's too late for that. Showing up while having a hard time moving due to how much everything ached would be worse, wouldn't it? Maybe there was no good way out of this. This was the least humiliating choice, though. 

Being honest with himself, Goro was surprised that he woke up early enough to call in sick on everything in the first place. Maybe he'll go back to sleep. The bed was more comfortable, and this time, he slept under the covers. 

It was several hours later, nearing one in the afternoon, that Goro woke up. His throat hurt, and his mouth felt dry. Was his throat always hurting? Stumbling his way to the kitchen, Goro poured himself a glass of water. The pain didn't go away. Out of curiosity, he opened his mouth and spoke. "What the hell happened..." Frustrated by how hoarse and scratchy his voice sounded, Goro leaned against the counter. Well, he was yelling a lot _before_ he blanked. Thing's must've gotten worse after. Rubbing a hand across his neck, he decided on taking a moment to make some tea with honey. Surely that'll help. He needed to take his mind off of this. 

Mug in hand, he sat back on the couch, staring at a blank TV screen. His hand reached for his phone. A sip was taken from the mug. Eyes stared at text. With a minute of silent thought, hesitation was gone. He already decided he wouldn't avoid it forever.

_What the fuck happened?_

Deciding that he perfectly captured how he felt, Goro set his phone aside. Kurusu would likely be in class, and not able to respond any time soon. Though, then again... Kurusu was never one to properly follow rules. When did he finish his tea? When did so much time pass? Goro narrowed his eyes. Did he fucking zone out? 

Abruptly standing, he left his phone sitting on the couch as he left it to put the mug into the sink. Ending up staring out the window, he frowned. How do some people live staying in their house all the time? There's nothing to do. Though, maybe that was Goro's fault in the first place. He could've picked up hobbies that didn't involve leaving his apartment, but alas, the only thing he ever does outside of work is either cycling, running, or spending time at some cafe or Jazz Jin. Sure, he ran his own blog, but there's nothing interesting to do on it. He's seen every variation of words that's used to form comment a dozen times, there's no reason for him to even pay attention to it when he isn't posting to it. If he could actually cook for himself, maybe then, he would have more fun with it. But since all he can do is take aesthetic photos of sweets, he was left with nothing to do without leaving his apartment. 

He should pick up a new hobby. 

If it hadn't been for how he forgot to close the balcony door last night, it would've been infuriatingly quiet. Instead, though, he was able to listen to birds chirp and the wind blow. He didn't like it. Storming across the room, he slammed it closed a bit harder than called for. He was frustrated now. Why was he so aggravated? Not knowing why just pissed him off even more. This will all pass soon enough, surely. Either he'll just get over this, or he'll be killed- who knows what's going to happen now that he clearly failed to kill Kurusu and the Phantom Thieves are now ready to send the calling card. Taking a guess, Goro would say he didn't manage to kill or even seriously harm any of them- he doubted Kurusu would've texted him like he had last night if Goro successfully did such a thing. He wondered if they even actually fought, or if they all managed to knock Goro down immediately. That would be truly pathetic. He wasn't good enough. _He isn't good enough._

At this point, Goro just feels like he's going to explode. Maybe, despite all the soreness and stiffness, Goro will go into mementos later. He needs to scream, even if that will only damage his throat more. Maybe he'll kill some shadows, if his body will allow it. He needs to get stronger, anyways. 

It was buzzing that brought him out of his mind. His phone. Goro didn't have to do any mental gymnastics to assume who was trying to get ahold of him. Without needing to give much attention to the caller, he picked up. "Are you going to explain?" Goro didn't necessarily mean to come across as so snappy, but he wasn't in a good mood. 

There was silence hanging over the other end for a moment. "Akechi, I- You're actually alive." Goro hated that he couldn't understand the tone of Kurusu's voice. "I'll explain, yeah. Where are you?" 

Why the _hell_ does he want to know? What, is he going to explain it in person? Goro isn't leaving his house today, and he'd rather not tell Kurusu where he lives. "Home. You're in school, are you not?" 

"Yeah. Got to the bathroom, but I don't know how long until another student walks in. Or worse, a teacher." The thought of Kurusu leaning against the wall in a dirty school bathroom twirling his bangs and talking on the phone wasn't something Goro ever assumed he'd be having, yet here he was, imagining just that. Wouldn't Kurusu have just sneaked his way up to the roof so he didn't have to worry about another person walking in? Did he not properly think things through? "Listen, Akechi..." 

Goro didn't know how much he wanted to listen. "Listen to what, Kurusu? You're going to tell me what I did, and why you thought I was dead. If that isn't what you want me to listen to, I'm going to hang up." That much aggression wasn't necessary. He shouldn't be taking out all these feelings on Kurusu. It wasn't his fault that Goro had a gap in his memory that he was still disorientated over. It was entirely Goro's, wasn't it? 

Hearing a sigh from the other side, Goro felt a slight twinge of guilt. "What point do you not remember anything from? I'll .. Try to sum things up, as quickly as I can." Right, they don't know how long they have to talk right now. Goro weighed out his options here. He had to make a new decision, going against what he already decided on. 

"After I summoned Loki the second time. I don't want a quick, short explanation. I'll come over to Leblanc tonight. And I don't want the others there, it'll be too much of a hassle." Goro didn't phrase any of it like a question. He tried to kill Kurusu, twice, but the delinquent seemed to completely disregard that. While it pissed Goro off, if he gives Goro a third chance here, maybe something will change. 

Judging from the silence and tone of Kurusu's response, Goro would assume him to be surprised. "Okay." Goro expected it to end there. He expected the call to end, for Kurusu to hang up, but instead he continued after a shared moment of silence. "I'll have some coffee ready for you." Once again, Goro didn't understand that damn tone. Though, this time, he was able to pinpoint that there was some smugness there. It was familiar. 

At least there was a little normalcy with their interaction. "You better have been working on your skills since the last time, then." Goro hung up after he finished speaking, finding himself feeling a bit better than earlier. Not enough to smile, no. But just enough to not want to slam every door he touched. He didn't want to leave the damn place, what if he got recognized? Did Goro own any hoodies? Hats? Anything that would hide his identity a bit more? If he waits long enough for it to get dark, he could not worry about such things, and just go. People seemed to not pay him any recognition the previous night, and he was a mess. 

Sweater and jeans, no makeup, and... Oh, Goro's hair is long enough for a ponytail, isn't it? No one would dare to assume he's the famous detective, Akechi Goro, like that. He'll just look like an exhausted high school or college student, maybe one involved in some less than decent activities considering how late he's out alone, and no one will pay him any extra attention. Well, he didn't exactly tell Kurusu when he'd be showing up. He would prefer to go after the sun sets, however he never said that, and if Kurusu decides to give up and go to bed... Leblanc doesn't exactly have a doorbell, now does it? If this trip over was only benefiting Kurusu, Goro would show up as late as he wants, and if Kurusu is asleep, then it's his loss. But this is something Goro wanted to get information from. If anything, it probably benefits Goro more, if not just him. Well, maybe it only emotionally benefits Kurusu. With his hero complex, surely he'd be happy to see Goro again despite everything he did, just because he thought he died. 

Goro spent the rest of the day flipping through TV stations. He didn't feel like eating. 

* * *

As the sun started to set and Goro's apartment was flooded with orange, he struggled to gather all his hair at the back of his head in order to tie it into a low ponytail. He wondered how some people did this everyday. Maybe it gets easier over time, but Goro doesn't think he'll be finding that out. Groaning in annoyance again as a decent amount of strands fell from his hands, he decided to give up and tie it anyways, leaving him with a messy ponytail and lots of stray hairs. Maybe this makes him look even more like a stranger, and it's a good thing. 

He looked at the numbers on his phone screen. It was still early, and he had deciding on getting there after Leblanc closes. The last thing both of them want, chances are, is the boss getting upset. Goro isn't aware of how much Sakura Sojiro knows, but he doubts the man would be happy to see him after he tried to put a bullet in his surrogate son's head.

With a dismissive sigh at his own thoughts, Goro looked at himself in the mirror. He never thought there'd be a day where he looks like this, much less goes outside like it. What looked back at him from the mirror wasn't the perfect detective prince, the mask he carefully forged for himself. Instead, it was a sick looking boy, bags heavy under his eyes. Goro had slept long enough, did he not? He doesn't understand why the bags remain as visible as they do. Tapping his fingers against the sink counter a couple of times, he pushed himself up to stand properly. Shoving his phone into his pocket and leaving the bathroom in search of gloves, he took his time. 

An hour passes, and finally with no longer having an excuse to wait to leave, as he has no interest in the TV show currently playing, Goro exited his apartment. He exited the building. He exited the property. And he made his way to the subway station. 

Avoiding talking was easy enough. He kept his grumpy expression, didn't make eye contact, and no one cared to talk to him. Standing on the train was worse than usual, however. His legs screamed at him. He ignored them. Exercise was supposedly good to do when you're sore, but Goro was sure this much went far above what's recommended as healthy. A walk around the neighbourhood- or apartment building hallways, even- could be helpful, but this? It might just get worse the next time he wakes up. He couldn't do anything about it but stand there and bear it.

As he left the station, the sky was losing its orange colour, becoming blue once again though darker this time. The walk to Leblanc was an odd one. There were many emotions that flowed through him, ones that continued to be impossible to label under only one name. What he could say, for sure though, was that he felt sick. There was anger, nervousness, curiosity, annoyance. Goro felt focused, yet lost in thought at the same time. Thinking too hard about it made him feel almost dizzy, and he couldn't risk stumbling or falling. Leblanc wasn't that far away anymore. 

Though Goro had said he didn't want the rest of the thieves there, he wondered if Kurusu had called them to Leblanc anyways. Even if not, would he have at least kept Morgana there? The cat didn't exactly have his own place to return to, and from what Goro knew, he always stayed with Kurusu. Rounding a corner, he saw the cafe just ahead. As expected, it was closed, most of the lights inside off. The ones over the bar specifically, how ever, were on, and someone was there. Knocking wasn't necessary, Goro knew the door would be unlocked, and has he turned the handle to push it open, the dinging of the bell brought attention to him. Kurusu, who had his elbows on the counter, head in hands and completely lost in thought, raised his head to face Goro. There was no signs of Kurusu not recognizing him despite how he looked, and Goro wasn't sure exactly why, but it just made him feel sicker. 

"Good evening." Was all that Goro said, stepping inside and closing the door. He was certain that his voice sounded much better now than it did when they spoke to each other on the phone earlier. Standing up properly, Kurusu smiled and returned the greeting. 

"Good evening. Or, night?" He scratched the back of his neck, and Goro couldn't help but feel like this casualness was a bit forced. "Saying good night makes it sound like you're going to bed, though." With a slight laugh, Kurusu started preparing to make a cup of coffee. It didn't take anything else to get the message across, and Goro gladly accepted the invitation to sit down at the bar. The pain in his legs finally settled, simply pulsing a new soreness now. 

No words were exchanged as Kurusu made the coffee, and as Goro looked around, he saw no signs of another Phantom Thief, and no cat either. Kurusu seemed to pick up on why he was looking around. After all, it wouldn't be too hard to assume. Goro had been here dozens of times, there'd be no reason for him to scan the cafe so much. "Morgana is spending the night with Futaba." The silence was broken with the words followed by a clink as a cup was placed in front of Goro. 

Goro hated this. It was pissing him off. Kurusu was standing just across the bar from him. Had Goro brought a gun, or even a knife, what would Kurusu do? He's too calm, having not even kept the damn cat around. "Thank you," Goro wrapped his hands around the cup, staring down at the coffee inside. The colour indicated that Kurusu was once again trying to get the perfect blend of sugar and cream. It was something he picked up on the barista doing from time to time, almost always seemingly hoping for a specific comment from how he'd watch Goro with clear expectation in his eyes. He didn't understand why Kurusu did it. The heat from the coffee seeped through his gloves, and he knew it was much too hot to drink from immediately. Silence filtered over Leblanc, but for the first time today, it didn't frustrate Goro. 

They remained like that for a while, until eventually, Goro took a small sip of the coffee. It was sweet, still tasting like coffee and keeping the classic Leblanc taste. He didn't say anything. The cup was set back down, and he looked up to Kurusu. Eye contact being held, Kurusu blurted something out that Goro hadn't quite expected.

"Come with us. To change Shido's heart." He no longer looked relaxed, Goro mused. Kurusu was tense. Hopeful, but tense. "I know you don't remember, but we offered you that before... Before we thought you died, and it still stands." _We?_ The implication- no, blatant meaning of that, says that this isn't just Kurusu. All the thieves are trying to give him yet another chance. His grip on the mug tightened. 

"I'll think about it... _After_ you tell me everything, Kurusu." The tone came across as a middle ground between calm and snapping. Goro wasn't actually sure if he would think about this or not. A lot of it depending on what Kurusu would say to him, and he also didn't understand why he'd offer _that_. Goro had made it clear that he wasn't to kill Shido, didn't he? 

Kurusu seemed to take his next words into careful consideration, response not coming along quickly. "Yeah. I'll go over everything that happened. You said you don't remember anything past summoning Loki the second time, right?" 

* * *

Goro wasn't sure what to think. Who would be? Had he really been that emotionally vulnerable, and in front of all the thieves no less? He didn't doubt Kurusu's story. It made too much sense, as much as he absolutely despised it. Goro supposed that he just needed time to think. While he had been telling Goro everything, Kurusu had made his way to the other side of the bar, and was now sitting next to Goro. Neither of them were looking at each other, Goro staring into a long emptied coffee cup and Kurusu just at the bar's surface. 

"Do any of the others know that I'm alive?" The question just seemed right, and this silence was different than the earlier one. He didn't like it. Kurusu raised his head to look at the wall, and with a sigh, he replied. 

"Morgana does, I don't think I could've avoided telling him even if I wanted to." He let out a slight chuckle, and Goro thought he hated it. "I'm not sure if Futaba does or not, but if they do, they haven't said anything about it." Of course the cat knew. Had Goro not already heard the full story, he would've sworn Morgana for being so careless as to leaving Kurusu alone with him. 

Crossing his legs, Goro rested his arms on the bar, crossed as well. "I do hope you know that, had time gone back, I would've done all these things again." Would he have? Goro wondered. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten so close to Kurusu if he could have a time repeat. Had he not made his way to joining the Phantom Thieves, things would've gone a lot different. Everyone he had killed for Shido, they weren't innocent. They had all done awful things, things that time in jail could never erase. The one thing he did truly feel guilty for was getting Kurusu arrested. The trauma from being tortured, especially by law enforcement, was something he didn't deserve and would now have to live with for the rest of his life. If Goro got away with killing Kurusu, it wouldn't have been as bad, but now that Kurusu lived, and likely won't be dying any time soon...

"...I see." Propping his arms up and resting the side of his head against his palm, Goro looked over to Kurusu. He seemed conflicted, fingers tangled in his bangs. "Even so, you can join us in stealing Shido's heart. After that, you can leave and never talk to us again if that's what you want." Kurusu shrugged. "You could do it now, if that's something you'd want to do." 

What Goro wanted to do, Goro himself didn't know. He wanted to do _something_ about Shido, but that something would be death, won't it? How else would he make Shido pay? "I'll consider it, like I said I would." That was something Goro would have to settle later. Something he didn't want to focus on now. Something he couldn't focus on now. 

With a nod, Kurusu stood up and returned to the other side of the bar, taking the empty coffee cup and placing it by the sink. "Would you like to stay a bit longer? We could play chess." He removed his apron, placing it out of view. Goro considered it. He'd rather not be alone with his thoughts right at this moment.

Without speaking, Goro stood, and made his way to one of the booths. Kurusu soon joined him, chess board in hand. Goro felt some form of smugness from the fact that Kurusu was so eager to play chess, when he hadn't even played it until Goro bugged him to play. It must've shown on his face, as Kurusu looked amused, giving Goro a sly grin. They played several games, each winning and losing multiple times. Even if one of them had won three times in a row, they didn't quit. Each game got longer and longer as they readjusted to each other's play style, trying to change and evolve to outmatch the other. 

Goro lost track of the time, but he found that he didn't mind that much. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me sprinkling in some of my borderline Goro agenda 😳 I kind of can't help it when writing him considering the headcanon of him having bpd influences how I interpret his character a lot.
> 
> My twitter is eyazus, by the way!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sad and I need to do my laundry...
> 
> Well, here's my second attempt ever at making a multi-chapter fic! Let's hope it goes well.
> 
> So far I have it planned for 3 chapters, hopefully I can pace it well enough. Chapter 2 and 3 will likely be a lot longer than this. orz


End file.
